CLARION COUNTY — A former Parker worship minister, the Rev. Shawn Morgan, recently was installed as the new pastor at Fern Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church, 399 Golf Course Road, near Kossuth.

He follows the Rev. Mark Micklos, who retired in July after serving the church for 20 years.

Evangelical Congregational Church lay delegate and Fern Trinity member Dale Kaber conducted the afternoon service.

Kaber said, “We have a 70-member congregation and had gone without a pastor for three months. We filled the pulpit with our own people. They stepped up and did a fine job. It brought the congregation closer together. ”

Allegheny District field director, the Rev. Gary Brown, brought a message on “Passing the Torch.” Brown led Morgan and the congregation in vows and performed a laying-on-of hands ceremony.

Morgan said his vision for Trinity is “that we will make a difference in the community, whatever it takes. That will involve building relationships, based on our relationship with Christ.”

“We will just continue doing the ministries we are doing right now and grow the church and make a difference in the community of Kossuth,” Morgan said.

He adds that what he most appreciates about the congregation is their love and generosity.

Morgan's hometown is New Kensington, and his home church is the Lower Burrell Church of God.

He is a graduate of Warner University in Lake Wales, Fla., where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in music education and music ministry.

He entered pastoral ministry in 1994 in Somerset, Ky.

He was ordained in 1997 while in Jacksonville, Fla.

His subsequent ministries were at University Boulevard Chapel in Jacksonville and Park Hill First Church of God in Parker.

Morgan said he was worship minister at Park Hill from 2005 to 2011.

Morgan also was a Rite Aid Pharmacy manager. He recently worked for Next Tier Concepts, a government agency that carries out background checks.

In 1993, he married Jennifer Wolford, who grew up in Clarion and Florida.

She also came from the Church of God background, the daughter and granddaughter of pastors.

Her father is the Rev. Lonny Wolford, who recently retired from Fox Street Church of God in Franklin. A number of Church of God family members and friends attended the installation.

The Morgans have three sons. Austin Morgan is studying psychology through Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. He works as a heavy-duty custodian for the Allegheny Clarion Valley School District.

Noah Morgan is studying nursing at Butler County Community College and is employed by the Butler Sam's Club.

They join their parents in Morgan Family Ministries, which presents worship concerts.

Morgan said, “We sing in concerts for different churches. Noah is the one who plays guitar. The rest of us just sing. Austin plays the cajon, a type of drum.”

Two-year-old Zane completes the family.